Obama supporter Lincoln Chafee talks about the post-election landscape The Brown University class being taught this semester by Lincoln Chafee, the Republican US senator-turned-independent supporter of Barack Obama, has an up-to-the-moment title: “Whither America.”

Retail Rebound When Luke T. Renchan announced in March that his landmark record shop, Luke’s Record Exchange in Pawtucket, was closing after 29 years in business, it was a sad and not very unsurprising story.

In a national year of change, stasis is likely to prevail at the General Assembly During a national election season in which “change” remains the dominant motif, Rhode Island politics is locked in a holding pattern marked by a Democratic stranglehold on state and federal offices.

Mixing old and new, Providence’s What Cheer? Brigade takes a stand against pre-fabricated culture
Unexpected and improbable spontaneity is a trademark for What Cheer?, one of a number of groups that blend punk rock ethos with the mobility of marching bands

Bad days are here, and there is little in the past to make the future seem hopeful
If the nation’s fiscal crisis confirms that Rhode Island isn’t alone in facing serious economic woes, the state doesn’t suffer from a lack of other challenges.

John Maeda talks about technology — and his quest to understand RISD Leave it to John Maeda, the Rhode Island School of Design’s new president, to invoke the long-term value of art at a time when global financial markets are gripped by uncertainty.

Critics, including a local former army interrogator, say he’s trying to play both sides of the issue It might surprise some that McCain’s record in opposing torture and the Bush administration’s terror-war approach is more complicated than his comments suggest.

Without seeking the spotlight, the senator and his star continue to rise As he closes out his second six-year term in the Senate, perhaps the most elite club in politics, Reed is the subject of ongoing speculation about his future.

Politics + media When Jim Hummel decided to depart last week because of the approach being pursued by new management, it seemed to encapsulate the take-this-paycheck-and-shove-it fantasy of many people.